By Dave Millhouser

It was snowy and icy as our little convoy approached central Colorados Hoosier Pass (elevation 11,542 feet).

The lead bus crested the grade and began descending -- rapidly -- into Breckenridge. I turned to a relief driver sitting near me and observed: "Either that guy is a much better driver than me, or hes going WAY too fast."

As we reached the sharp turn at the bottom of the pass we spotted the coach in the drive-through window of a Dennys. The fact that the Dennys didnt have a drive-through hadnt stopped him.

The front end of his coach had bulled its way nearly to the cash register.

It was peak ski season and we had farmed out part of this charter to a company from Maryland. Their driver had never seen REAL mountains, and the idea of gearing down for the 8 percent grade hadnt occurred to him.

One of the realities of our business is that we always have either too many buses, or too few. Most of us cant resist selling charters, even when were fully booked, so we "farm" excess work to other companies, and (gratefully) take that kind of business when we need it.

No one has yet invented a better way of smoothing out the peaks and valleys of a seasonal market.

The benefits of working with other companies outweigh the risks, but there are some things worth considering that can reduce the likelihood or consequences of driving through a Dennys.

Your customer chartered you. Hopefully its because youve served them well, or theyve heard good things about you. If things go awry, youre the one theyll be looking to for remedies, even if you farmed the work to another operator.

Its critical that whoever you use have the appropriate USDOT authority and be properly licensed and insured. You cant assume anything. Be sure.

"Proper" insurance may be something of a moving target because the legal minimum wont begin to cover a catastrophe. In the event of an accident, the victims are going to sue everybody, particularly the operator they contracted with. If you farm the "Young Millionaires Club" charter, and they flop into the Grand Canyon, everyone involved is going to need a ton of insurance.

Depending on your circumstances, it may be worthwhile to carry more than the minimum, and to require higher coverage from companies you hire. At the very least, know what they have. It would be tragic to lose your company because they were under-insured.

Its important to know who youre dealing with. Local, friendly competitors are a relatively simple proposition. Hiring someone you dont know well can lead to a whole range of excitement, ranging from irritation to disaster.

Drivers have been known to sell their own company, at the expense of the operator who originated and sold the charter. Buses sometimes show up late for pickup, or even disappear into the ether (if a better paying job turns up for an unscrupulous carrier). Sometimes seating capacity is wrong, or the hired coach is dirty. The only way to control quality is to work with companies you know.

There also are geographical considerations. Its like the search for the Holy Grail. Bus companies scour the country looking for markets that mirror their own -- those mythical places where THEY are busy while WE are slow.

It rarely works because spring and fall are busy almost everywhere, but its worth a shot.

When you use coaches from afar, keep a few things in mind. A southern operator might not be adept at dealing with cold and winter. Northern carriers could be a bit weak at tweaking the A/C. The drivers that come with the buses dont know the geography, and, unless theyre based at your place, may need help with logistics.

If they get lost, run out of fuel or dont dump the lav, itll be on you.

Hiring other companies is a necessary component of business for most charter companies. Its so common we may have become complacent, and it is critical to understand that getting it wrong, combined with a bit of bad luck, can damage or destroy a well-run company.

The risk can be reduced, though, by consulting with your insurance agent about proper coverage and general guidance regarding when farming out work.

A friend was short a bus one busy weekend and hired a local company he didnt know. Kumquat Bus showed up late, with an aging, filthy bus. The driver got lost, and the bus broke down. You know: "The Revenge of the Bus Fairy" scenario.

A couple of days later my buddy got a nasty letter from the group listing the atrocities, questioning his ancestry, and demanding their money back. The letter ended on a high note, praising Mr. Kumquat to the sky and complimenting how hard he had struggled to make things work out.

It was backwards and unfair, but thats a risk we take every time we hire another company to do our work. We need to choose wisely.

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at: dave_millhouser@hotmail.com.